BCNVanguardia

At its fifth edition, the Barcelona International Gastronomy Congress – BCNVanguardia 2012 aims to become the authentic point of gathering of the restaurant industry.

Organised by Alimentaria and Grupo Caterdata under the event's original name, BCNVanguardia 2012 will be placing a clear focus on the terms ‘innovation’ and ‘integration’ (i&i). One of the main priorities of the event is to allow attendees to learn about new concepts, products, services and trends, as well as how to integrate these into their business. ‘We have realised that at many events, not just culinary conferences, much is said, but attendees return home without knowing how to integrate what they learn into their business. Our ambition is to provide information and make it easier for them to incorporate what they learn into their company,’ states Julia Pérez, food critic and spokesperson for the technical committee.

BCNVanguardia 2012 will therefore encompass the entire restaurant industry, distancing itself from purely haute cuisine conferences. The next edition of the show will pay special attention to management in the hotel and catering industry, concentrating on the following areas:

Tradition and Avant-garde. Tradition as a starting point for the culinary avant-garde.
Research-based Cuisine. Culinary techniques and approaches in researching gastronomic flavours.
New Gastronomic Cultures. A journey through the most unique cuisines on the global culinary scene.
Cooking and Health. Macrobiotics, a way of eating based on the yin and yang principle of balance.
Product Relationship. The great chefs' suppliers and their knowledge of the most popular products.
Success in Tapas. The evolution of tapas yesterday, today and tomorrow: the birth of gastrobars.
Tourism and Gastronomy. Different tour operator models and their resources for exploring gastronomy.
Management and Technology. Artificial intelligence in the kitchen: the new ‘sous chef’.
Excellence of Service. The culture of quality in customer service.

‘The technical committee believes that there are many chefs and restaurateurs in this country who have an interest in other aspects which go beyond the purely culinary. We are certain that both Restaurama and Alimentaria target a professional market,’ Pérez concludes.

At BCNVanguardia 2012 there will be room for both theory and practice in the various lectures, in order to provide real value for all those in attendance. Additionally, various post-event activities are being planned with the aim of allowing visitors to interact with the speakers in a comprehensive way. For those who cannot attend the conference in person, there is the option of visiting BCNVanguardia 2012 through TASTEONOMY (www.tasteonomy.com), an innovative gastronomy portal which will rebroadcast the entire programme.

BCNVanguardia 2012 has a new technical committee made up of leading professionals from different areas of the hotel, restaurant and catering channel: